Recent Book Reviews

Interview with Sandra Byrd, Author of Lady of a Thousand Treasures, Scavenger Hunt

Welcome to Lady of a Thousand Treasures by Sandra Byrd Scavenger Hunt with a giveaway hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours. On each stop there will be:

special content by the blogger, plus

a clue

then head back to the launch post on JustRead or straight to the main crossword puzzle to fill in the words and get the special phrase to enter the giveaway!

I am thrilled to have Sandra Byrd with me today to tell us a little about herself and the writing process. I have read some of her contemporary fiction and am right now reading Lady of a Thousand Faces, which I will be reviewing here this Wednesday. So be sure to come back and hear my thoughts.

Sandra, thank you for taking the time to visit with me today.

What was your dream job when you were a child?

Truthfully, I wanted to be an author since the age of about six, or when I learned to read chapter books. I did explore other careers – I wanted to be a hairstylist but butchered my barbies’ hair; I loved being a waitress, and I thought about attending law school. I have a business degree, and I’ve been an editor. In the deepest part of my heart, though, I knew that I was created to write.

How wonderful that the Lord allowed you to see that dream fulfilled!

Who most motivated or encouraged you to become an author?

My grandmother was a true encourager, and I have been blessed with many wonderful mentors and teachers throughout my life. But writing, like most professions, is difficult and can be lonely and discouraging. In the end, you’ve got to feel that the calling and desire can overcome the difficulties. The Lord is always my touchstone.

This is probably a good reminder to us. Readers, reach out to your favorite authors and let them know how much they bless you!

What are some of the challenges you face as a Christian fiction author?

My readers are mostly divided between general market and inspirational market readers. One challenge I face is when readers are not happy with the amount of faith that is or is not included in a book. For some, there is too much, and they feel it’s preachy. For others, there is not enough, and they point out missed opportunities where they would have liked to have seen more overt faith. I try to remember that we are all different in how we approach our faith, and even in different seasons of life, we approach our faith differently. My heroines have that freedom, too.

I can see that being a problem! It sounds like you are confident in how much faith to include which means you are doing it just right!

You have written historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and devotionals and you write for teens and adults. Which is your favorite to write?

There have definitely been seasons in my writing life. I began my career writing for tween and teens; indeed, more than half of the books I have written were for those markets, and I feel absolutely privileged to have written them. That said, I am happy to be writing for adults now, and writing historicals is currently most satisfying to me.

Sounds like a lot of work and a lot of fun!

What was your hardest scene to write?

Anne Boleyn’s best friend tending to her after her beheading. It’s historically accurate, and I wrote from the point of view of the best friend, putting myself in her place. I wanted to shy away from that, but it wouldn’t have been true, and therefore honoring, to the friend who saw her duties and affections clear through to the end.

Wow! I can see why that would have been the hardest. Thank you for honoring the friend.

What is your favorite thing about writing?

I love research, and I love coming to know my heroines and heroes and even their enemies. It’s a tremendous privilege to create a world within the real world, and despite the work, I find it greatly fulfilling.

Your least favorite?

My least favorite, honestly, is reviewers who use their words in a hurtful manner. All authors expect that there will be reviews from people who do not enjoy the book, and that is okay.

I know some authors don’t read their reviews for this very reason. This is another good reminder for us readers. Do write reviews, but be sure to include positives and don’t focus only on the negatives.

Synopsis:

Miss Eleanor Sheffield is a talented evaluator of antiquities, trained to know the difference between a genuine artifact and a fraud. But with her father’s passing and her uncle’s decline into dementia, the family business is at risk. In the Victorian era, unmarried Eleanor cannot run Sheffield Brothers alone.

The death of a longtime client, Baron Lydney, offers an unexpected complication when Eleanor is appointed the temporary trustee of the baron’s legendary collection. She must choose whether to donate the priceless treasures to a museum or allow them to pass to the baron’s only living son, Harry—the man who broke Eleanor’s heart.

Eleanor distrusts the baron’s motives and her own ability to be unbiased regarding Harry’s future. Harry claims to still love her and Eleanor yearns to believe him, but his mysterious comments and actions fuel her doubts. When she learns an Italian beauty accompanied him on his return to England, her lingering hope for a future with Harry dims.

With the threat of debtor’s prison closing in, Eleanor knows that donating the baron’s collection would win her favor among potential clients, saving Sheffield Brothers. But the more time she spends with Harry, the more her faith in him grows. Might Harry be worthy of his inheritance, and her heart, after all? As pressures mount and time runs out, Eleanor must decide whom she can trust—who in her life is false or true, brass or gold—and what is meant to be treasured.

I would like to thank HF Virtual Book Tours for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.

Also in this series:

SCAVENGER HUNT CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Instructions: Head to every stop on the tour to collect a word to finish the crossword puzzle. Hint: You might want to print out the crossword puzzle (link below) and enter it everyday to make it easier. Crossword Board: https://crosswordlabs.com/view/lady-of-a-thousand-treasures-scavenger-hunt Not a crossword puzzle fan? Just compile the clue words from each stop and enter it on the Rafflecopter entry.

This stop’s CLUE is: You

Giveaway

One winner will receive:

copy of Lady of a Thousand Treasures (print to US addresses OR ebook to international)

Cork coaster set of the British Isles (US Only)

“To The Lighthouse” diffuser made by Seawitch Candles in Cornwall, England. (US Only)

$10 Amazon gift card (open international)

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Entry form will be live on the 19th once all clues are revealed. Clues for giveaway will begin at midnight October 15, 2018. Entries are opened at midnight on October 19, 2018 and lasts through 11:59pm October 22, 2018. Void where prohibited by law. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

About Sandra Byrd

After earning her first rejection at the age of thirteen, bestselling author Sandra Byrd has now published fifty books.

Sandra’s delighted to kick off her new historical romance series with Tyndale House Publishers, Victorian Ladies, with Lady of a Thousand Treasures. The three-book Victorian Ladies series follows her historically sound Gothic romances, Daughters of Hampshire, launched with the bestselling Mist of Midnight, which earned a coveted Editor’s Choice award from the Historical Novel Society. The second book, Bride of a Distant Isle, has been selected by Romantic Times as a Top Pick. The third in the series, A Lady in Disguise, was published in 2017. Check out her contemporary adult fiction debut, Let Them Eat Cake, which was a Christy Award finalist, as was her first historical novel, To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. To Die For was also named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2011, and The Secret Keeper: A Novel of Kateryn Parr was named a Library Journal Best Books Pick for 2012.

Sandra has published dozens of books for kids, tweens, and teens, including the bestselling The One Year Be-Tween You and God Devotions for Girls. She continued her work as a devotionalist, with The One Year Home and Garden Devotions, and The One Year Experiencing God’s Love Devotional.